Open-hearth furnace



March 24. 1925. 1531,193

A. T. KELLER OPEN HEARTH FURNACE Filed Deo. 5, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet l afro: nel,

March24. 1925. 1,531,193

A. T. KELLER OPEN HEARTH FURNACE Filed Dec. 5, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet zg- E.

Patented Mar. 24, 1925.

- UNITED `STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT vT. KELLER, OF BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO BETHLEHEM STEEL COMPANY, OF BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION F PENN- s YLvANIA.

Application led December To all 107mm it may concern.'

Be it known that l, ALBERT T. KELLER, -aycitizen of the'United States, and residing at Bethlehem, Northampton County, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Open-Hearth Furnaces, of which the following' is a speciiication.

rl`his invention relates to regenerative furnaces and particularly to reversible furnaces of the type used in the production of steel by the open hearth process.I

The object of the invention i's to provide a furnace of this class embodying a novel' and improved end construction by means of which the .rate of gas consumption may be increased and hence the productive rate or output of the furnace increased, without shortening its effective life. One form of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 isa central vertical longitudinal section through one end of the furnace:

Figure 2 is ,a section on line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 i's a section on line 3-3 of Figure 1; v

Figure t is a section on line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 ure 1; l

Figure 6 isa view of a portion of the end of the furnace showing details; and

Figure 7 is a vertlcal section through a portion of a modiiedform of. furnace. I

The hearth is indicated at 10 and the roof at 11, these members converging at the ends of the furnace to form a throat 12 through which the air and gas are introduced at the inlet end of the furnace and the products of combustion make their escape at thel outlet end the two ends of the furnace being preferably alike in construction. Flues leading to air and gas regenerating chambers (not shown) are indicated atv 13 and 11 respectively.' 'lhe ilue `14C has a. flue 15 or uptake leading upwardly therefrom which branches at a point opposite the combustion chamber, one branch 16 extending is a sectionon line 5"--5 of F horizontally inward toward the throat 12.

and terminating in ra port 17 and the other branch extending upwardly tofcomznunicate With'the channel lvvhich opens intothe upper part et the throat. .A valve or damper OPEN-HEARTH FURNACE.

5, 1921. Serial No. 520,045.

19 is fixed on a rotatable rod 20 and is adapted to be turned either to its horizontal or full line position (Figure 1') to block coinmunication between flue and channel 18, or to be turned to its dotted line position to block communication between flue 15 and branch 16.

The flue 13 leading from the air regenerating chamber has two uptakes 21 extending upwardly therefrom each of which branches at a point substantially horizontally opposite the branch 16 of the gas flue, one branch 22 of each flue leading to the channel 23, which has substantially the form 'of an inverted U, and which terminates at its forward end in a port 2l of similar shape. The other branches 25 ot the air lucs 21 extend vertically"upward and communicate with the channel 18 at the-top of the furnace. Valves or dampers 26 are positioned to control comiminication between fines `21 and channels 18 and 23. These dampers are fixed upon rods 27 which are rotatably mounted in the walls of the furnace so that they may easily be' turned from full to dotted line position (Figure 3) by the operator. Preferably rods 20 and -27 are operatively connected together by suitable gearing and to rotatable .shaft 28 on which hand wheel 29 is mounted, so that a furnace attendant can simultaneously move the dampers'26 and 19 from vertical to horizontal position or vice versa, the three dampers moving simultaneously to either horizontal or vertical position.

At the inlet end of the furnace the three dampers occupy the positions illustrated in full lines in Figures 1 and 3 so that air and gas are constrained to iiow through channel 23 and branch 16 respectively, to the air and gas outlet ports 24 and 17. However at the opposite end of the furnace the dampers are arranged vertically, or in their dotted line posit-ions, so thatthe hot products of combustion pass through the large channel 18 and into tlues 15 and 21 and thence to the regenerators. No exhaust gases pass out throu h ports 17 and 24 and these ports arethere y preserved against the Welly known corrosivo action Vof the hot gases and drops o'slag carried thereby. The channel 18 also has an eeotive cross sectional area at its narrowest part greater than the combined area of ports 17 and 24l eo that the port area.

for the outgoing products of combustion is greater than the port area for the incoming gas and air..

If desired, the valve 19 may be replaced by a non-movable partition as shown in Figure 7, and in such case al portion of the ases issuing from the furnace at the outet end will pass through channel 16 and thence down channel 15, aswellas escaping downwardly through lues 21.

The invention may be modiiied in other ways, as will be apparent to oneskilled in the art, within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the-invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. An end construction for regenerative furnaces having up take flues for air and gas communicating with a combustion chamber, a channel adapted to communicate with each of said lues and with the combustion chamber, `and `means for controlling communication between the said channel and the said air and gas flues.

2. n endV construction forre'generative furnaces having air and gas uptake iiues opening into a combustion chamber through suitable outlet ports, a channel opening into the combustion vchamber above said outlet ports and connecting with the said air and gas ilues in rear of such outlet ports, and means for controlling communication between said'channel and the air and gas flues.

3. An end construction forI regenerative furnaces having air and gas uptake iues discharging into a combustion chamber, a

channel adapted to communicate with each of said air and gas iues and with the combustion chamber, said channel having an effective'cross sectional area greater than the combined cross sectional area of the outlet ports of the air and gas ues, and means for controlling communication between said channel and the 4air and gas iiues.

4. An end construction for regenerative open hearth furnaces having two uptake flues, each of said flues being ada ted to communicate with the combustion c amber through either of two different ports, and

areas of` the other two and being connected to each of said uptake flues, each flue being .connected to one\only of the two smaller ports and to the large port, and means controlling communication between each Hue and its associated ports.

7. An end construction for regenerative open hearth furnaces, having two uptake.

flues and three ports opening into a combustion chamber, each flue being connected to two of said ports, and means for opening or blocking communication between each iiue and one of its associatedl ports, said means being simultaneously operable.

8. An end construction for regenerative open hearth furnaces, having two uptake flues and three ports opening into a cornbustion chamber, each flue being connected to twoA of 'said-ports, and means including operatively intere )nnected dampers for opening or blocking communication between each flue and one of its associated ports.

9. An end construction for. regenerative open hearth furnaces having. two uptake iiues and three ports opening into a combustion chamber, each flue being connected to two of said ports, and means including pivotally supported dampers operatively connected together for simultaneous movement, for simultaneously opening or blocking communication between each iue and one of' its associated ports.

ing connected to two of said ports, and,

means for controlling communication between each ue and its associated ports.

In ltestimony whereof I hereunto atiix my signature.

ALBERT T. KELLER. 

